After some recent events that turned against the party, including the Congress' G-23 Group asking for a revamp in the party, Congress leader and MP Manish Tiwari has been included in the star campaigners list of Congress for Assam and West Bengal Assembly polls.
The two-day media workshop of the Congress began on Monday with Rahul Gandhi emphasising on the need to tone up the party's communication strategy and to institutionalise a framework for it in all states ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Terming the Third Front as the "biggest mirage" of Indian politics, the Congress on Thursday said whenever the grouping has resurrected, it has only helped the communal forces.
Congress sources said the prime minister wanted to wait till after the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 but he felt uneasy on Friday morning and doctors attending upon him did not want to take any chances and decided to go ahead with the surgery.
The fact remains that there is a judgement of the court and the judgement has to be implemented by the BCCI, says Congress leader Manish Tewari.
The Congress leader was first arrested by the CBI on August 21.
India has taken all steps that are essential to secure the release of Sarabjit Singh, who is on death row in Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a delegation of leaders from Punjab. "A delegation of leaders from Punjab met the Prime Minister. The issue of Sarabjit Singh was prominently raised by the delegation and they apprised him of the unanimous resolution passed by the Assembly for his release," AICC spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters.
Hitting back at Union minister and former Army chief General VK Singh's 'jobless' jibe, former information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari on Monday said that by God's grace, he had much more work to do than a minister of state.
'When armies start attacking with clubs and batons, then at some point this can take an escalatory spiral and spin out of control.'
Wearing black clothes, Congress leaders hit the streets on Friday to protest against price rise and unemployment with a host of them, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, being detained by police amid dramatic standoffs outside Parliament and the All India Congress Committee headquarters in New Delhi.
The purchase of a Rs 48.25 lakh swanky Jaguar XE as the new official car for Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has raised eyebrows with the opposition Congress on Friday asking her to reconsider using the luxury vehicle.
The contentious bill providing for legal sanction to police to obtain physical and biological samples of convicts and detainees for investigation in criminal matters was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday, with Home Minister Amit Shah asserting it will act as a defender of human rights of law-abiding citizens.
The SIT has been constituted and has been directed to complete the probe within a month, Shah said.
Leaders of several opposition parties including the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Left assembled at Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar's residence in New Delhi on Tuesday and discussed various issues facing the country, amid intense speculation about the possibility of a third front against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Congress decision to clamp a gag order to restrain its leaders from speaking out of turn, has drawn sharp response from two defiant leaders Manish Tewari and Rashid Alvi who said it is not time for fighting and humiliating each other.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said he likes leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi who are proud of their roots and noted that Modi speaks frankly about his past as a tea-seller.
A day after Nitish Kumar compared Narendra Modi to Hitler, Union Minister Manish Tewari joined the attack on Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, saying "fascists" usurp power through democracy only to subvert it.
Several political leaders on Monday alleged a conspiracy behind the road accident involving the Unnao rape complainant in Rae Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday
The Congress president cited a report quoting Gadkari as saying that party workers should first fulfil their domestic responsibilities as "those who cannot do that cannot manage the country".
He termed the situation with China as 'very dangerous' and said India under Modi does not have any clear cut strategy on China, which is testing the country and will not sit silent.
Ahmed Patel, K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh will be part of the Rajya Sabha Committee, which will also include Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and party's deputy leader Anand Sharma. Azad and Sharma are signatories to the letter that demanded an overhaul of the Congress party and a new 'full-time and visible' party president.
The Congress hit out at the government, alleging that it was treating the EC as its "subservient tool".
While I&B Minister Manish Tewari seems desperate for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, the Congress leadership is having a tough time choosing the right candidates. Anita Katyal reports
The meeting also includes some of Sonia Gandhi's close associates and is the first effort by the Congress leadership for a reproachment with those who raised questions over the leadership.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the party stood united and together as a family and there are no dissensions pending after the announcement of elections to the party chief's post.
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar has been honoured with the first Yash Chopra Memorial Award for her contribution to Hindi cinema.
Sidhu visited the revered Gurdwara Darbar Sahib and offered prayers and stressed on 'opening of a new friendship chapter' and trade between the two countries, days after India early this week reopened the visa-free Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims.
The chiefs of the central agencies currently have a two-year tenure.
The Congress and the government engaged in a war of words in Lok Sabha on Tuesday over sedition cases with the opposition party alleging the stringent law is being misused, drawing a sharp retort from Union minister G Kishan Reddy who asked it not to lecture others on democracy.
Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari told the Wayanad MP that the party takes collective responsibility of the Congress's drubbing in the recently held general elections adding that the party chief is not the one to be blamed.
The Opposition also seems to be in a disarray as far as floor coordination is concerned with no meeting held to discuss the strategy to corner the government on key issues.
'Dr Shashi Tharoor by far is a much better choice.'
The resignation of Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Aamir Raza Husain over Narendra Modi's "puppy" remarks gave Congress a fresh handle to attack the opposition party as it wondered what stand will the other Muslim leaders in the BJP take.
An overwhelming number of new appointees across the party's organisational structure -- from the highest decision-making body CWC (Congress Working Committee) to the special committee formed to assist interim party chief Sonia Gandhi -- are known as Rahul Gandhi's confidantes.
The Akali Dal-BJP alliance won on four seats and the AAP bagged one.
'You need a leader whom India can identify with and I cannot think of any other leader except Sachin Pilot in the Congress party.'
Even though it was stated that no action would be taken against the senior leaders who had written to Sonia Gandhi, they say that the retaliation had already begun, reports Aditi Phadnis
Tharoor had so far maintained a silence since the letter appeared in the media and was heatedly debated at the Monday meeting of the Congress Working Committee, which urged Sonia Gandhi to continue as party president and bring about organisational changes.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Thursday said he had opt out contest in coming Lok Sabha elections from Ludhiana constituency because his health.
Congress on Friday said it is "seriously considering" Captain Amarinder Singh as its candidate for the Amritsar parliamentary seat from where senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley is contesting his maiden election.
